Episode Summary

The 1953 murder of a white school teacher, a communist sympathizer who was involved in civil-rights issues, is reopened after the victim's youngest son asks for it to be reinvestigated. The probe reveals that the slain man was killed on the same day that the Rosenbergs were executed and was set to testify the next day before the House Committee on Un-American Activities.moreless

McCarthyism made villains of many, heros of a few. This is the story of what happened to a schoolteacher who became persoanally interested in school integration, and was murdered the night before appearing before the House Unamerican Activities Committee.moreless

Two mistakes: 1)The protagonist was NOT a Communist, only a schoolteacher interestred in integration. In his own classroom. This brings him into cntact with a Communist group. 2)"Red Glare" does NOT only refer to "better red than dead." I assume you've sung the Star Spangled Banner?!

The schoolteacher and his family lose everything: he: his wife, his job, the respect of his son, who loses his girl an all his friends. The FBI is implicated. McCathyism is damned. The murderer is quite a surprise. Too bad CC didn't have it's black-and-white stuff going then...Please let's see that things like this don't happen in our oountry again!moreless

Elliot Garvey (1953)

Guest Star

Christina Rush

Recurring Role

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

FILTER BY TYPE

TRIVIA (3)

Nitpick: Reina Kraus notes that she came to USA from Prague in 1944. In that time, Prague was occupied by Nazi Germany and it's hard to believe that anyone could travel freely to the country Germany was in war with. In addition, Czech communists and Jews were persecuted since 1939 when the Nazi protectorate was established.

Nitpick: At one point during the political meeting, a speaker refers to integration in schools by stating that "Great Britain and France ended segregation years ago". The truth is that in Great Britain and France there has never been segregation of schools on racial grounds.

The CBS press release for this episode carried a note that guest star Orson Bean (Harland Sealey in 2004) was himself blacklisted in the 1950's for being a communist sympathizer. He was even fired from The Ed Sullivan Show because of the allegations.

ALLUSIONS (3)

The RosenbergsEthel and Julius Rosenberg were a married couple who were accused and convicted for spying for the Soviet Union during the Cold War. They were sentenced to death and executed in the electric chair on June 19, 1953.

A curiosity: After their parents' execution, the Rosenbergs' two sons, Robert and Michael, were adopted by songwriters Ann and Abel Meeropol. Abel Meeropol wrote the song Strange Fruit, which later gave its name to the Cold Case episode 2-19: Strange Fruit.

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